That's why here at The Little Gym from the 1st October to the 15th October we are rewarding those who bring friends! If your friend enrols on the day, you as a Little Gym member will receive a free T-Shirt or Teddy Bear!

We will be learning gymnastics skills and playing fun, cheerful Halloween games. You might even go home with a few treats. Please remember a nut-free snack for our craft hour between gymnastic sessions!

Halloween Heroesstarts today, Monday, October 22nd from 9:00 - 12:00 for all children from 3-12 years of age!

Movie Monsters and Secret Agents runs tomorrow, Tuesday, October 23rd from 9:15 - 12:15and will be filled with fun and adventure. No scary bits... so come and enjoy it with us.

To stop or not to stop… that’s the big question facing the parents of children starting reception every September. Should your child continue with their activities after school? The football, ballet or gymnastics that they love?

The answer is YES!

Your child is going to get quite a big shock when they go to school. But not the one us concerned parents are expecting…. Far from being tired, when they start school they will suddenly stop moving for most of the day, and be asked to sit quietly for long stretches.

Here’s the problem… four-year olds aren’t designed to sit quietly. They are still in the developmental stage where their brain is telling them to move, to explore, to experience as much of the world around them as humanly possible. And that is because our little ones learn through moving.

The NHS recommends children aged 5 years and under should get at least three hours of exercise every day, including 60 minutes of vigorous exercise. But when they first start school, they will not get that exercise. And they need it to be better at school!

According to OFSTED, Early Years settings are “not sufficiently physically challenging”, and “the more active a child is, the stronger their body core and the better able they are to do things asked of them at school. If practitioners do not encourage children to do this then they are not setting them up very well for the future.”

That's because if you want your child to be a better sitter, a better listener, and better at concentrating, you need to get them moving. It’s the way to truly good listeners.

And here’s why…

Our vestibular system – our sixth sense – is responsible for helping us to sit still and listen, be alert, and concentrate. And it works in partnership with our seventh sense, proprioception. Now, if your child has a poorly developed vestibular sense and a challenged proprioceptive sense then they’re going to find school hard! They’ll be the child that fidgets, that can’t stop moving, that can’t focus, can’t be still, and doesn’t hear what the teacher is saying. And the child that gets in trouble for all of those things. And no parent wants that for their child.

But when does all that critical development of the vestibular system and proprioception happen? Right now, just when they’re being told to go to school, sit still, and listen. At exactly the stage in their life when they need to get moving! All of that development happens BEFORE the age of SIX!

And guess what, they’re both developed solely through movement. If the vestibular and proprioceptive senses are developed through movement, and all that critical development happens before the age of 6 years, then how on earth can our little ones get what they need from Pre-School and Reception alone?

The Simple Answer -- They Need Movement After School!

Your school-age child needs to get moving for three hours a day and even with the best of intentions our education system just can’t provide them with that opportunity. Only modern, savvy parents that are passionate about their children’s development can.

And not just any movement will do. To optimise their development, children need to take physical risks, regularly try a variety of new physical challenges for the first time, stretch their bodies in new directions, reach new heights, and problem solve.

When we were kids we climbed trees… and we have a responsibility as a savvy generation of parents to find a super fun modern-day equivalent for our increasingly ‘more sedentary than they are designed to be’ children.

And according to Gill Jane, Deputy Director of Early Years at OFSTED, there is a tension between physical activity and taking risks, and as a parent, balancing risk is a hard thing to do. OFSTED would like early years practitioners to challenge children and take such risks in order to make them more physically active.

Helping Your Children to Learn Through Movement and Safe Risks

Giving children this strong platform is exactly where The Little Gym comes into play. We know what three, four and five-year-old children need, and we get them moving and challenged in the right way to aid their development. That’s why teachers, occupational therapists and paediatricians recommend us as an accompaniment to the early years of schooling – they understand what an important role we can play in supporting children’s development and schooling.

And that’s what we all want – parents and teachers alike… to set every child up for success, help them to thrive, and make school as easy an experience for them as possible!

Don’t stop your children’s activities when they go to school. They won’t be too tired. They’ll need the outlet. And they need to keep moving. Penning them into a room for most of the day, stopping them from moving, and then removing the activities they love doesn’t do our beautiful children justice.

And just like us, they need to de-stress after a long day at school! Just like we need to de-stress after a long day at work. Why do you think adult gyms do such a roaring trade in the evening! School has the same effect on our children, let’s help them get that stress out of their system and sleep better at night.

Our Teachers Can Help!

Our teachers are always available to discuss how we can support your three, four or five-year old’s transition into little school or big school, and provide the outlet they need to keep growing and thriving on their exciting journey into the big bright world that awaits them.

Tell us your concerns, and we’ll see how we can help with extra flexibility for school starters. Just grab one of our teachers after class or at the front desk to see how we can help.

This week in the camp we will learn about different jobs that we might taken on as an adult. These include Firefighters, Police officers and paramedics! This camp will be very exciting as we try new skills and use our imagination. So bring your friends to join in the fun!

Join in the adventure this summer with Green beard's pirate ship! We will be using pirate magic to make this camp super fun. Bring your hooks and swords to this amazing camp. The theme will explore swashbuckler's sail to the seashell island, the treasures of barnacles beach plus lots more! So grab your pirate friends and join in! I Wouldn't miss it, Captain!

This week at The Little Gym we are exploring Rainbow castles with a unique theme every day! This week we will look at the colors of the king, meet a prince called Roy, explore the secret garden, meet the queen to finally find the rainbow castle. In every camp, the children are given the opportunity to make and create something within the class related to the class theme.

The camps are a great way for children to develop their social skills and increase their independence.

The children have had a great week by taking part and demonstrating some of the skills and routines that we have put together for their family and friends. They all received some great medals. It's been a pleasure teaching all the little ones, seeing them grow into young gymnasts. Please stay tuned for more photos.

Empathy isn't something babies are born with, rather, it's a uniquely human trait that is developed in the formative early years of a child's life. Understanding, and more importantly, expressing empathy is a result of developing social and emotional skills. Check out these fours ways to encourage and develop empathy in your child.

1. Practice what you preach. Children naturally mimic their caregivers actions. By modelling empathy, showing respect, and interacting with other's in a kind and caring manner, your'e teaching empathy and your child will learn from your example.

2. Teach your child about emotion, which can begin very early in infancy! Talk to your child about their emotions. If they are crying talk to them about why they are sad or frustrated. If they are laughing, playfully ask why they are happy. Practice by mimicking by emotions in the mirror with your child. As you child grows they will be to understand emotions more clearly, continuing to develop social and emotional skills.

3. Show empathy towards your child, when sadness, frustration, and anger occur, it is important for parents to empathise with their children. If your child is upset, talk to them about how they are feeling, and ask them questions to help them understand their emotions.

4. Provide your child with opportunities for practising empathy. Grab a stuffed animal or doll, and role play various situations with your child. For example, "Mr Bear said that his friend won't share with him. How do you think Mr Bear feels?" Talking to your child about the feelings of others (whether real, or in a Mr Bear situation). Will help them understand, analysis, and empathise with the emotions of others in real time situations.

Helping your child to build, and practice empathy will help to develop and strengthen their social and emotional skills that will carry with them throughout childhood, adolescence, and adulthood.

Kid - focused activities like The Little Gym can be a great option for real world social skill building for kids.

We have fun-filled Easter themed camps running on 12th and 13th April from 9.30am to 12.30pm for children between age 3-12 years. As we had Ofsted registration, the camps and after school clubs are both drop off enabled and all our instructors and carers are qualified in safeguarding, the Common Core of Skills and Knowledge for the children's workforce and they have their Level 3 Paediatric First Aid qualifications. Your children are cared for and are in safe hands, giving busy mums and dads piece of mind that their little ones are being cared for and well looked after.

When the days are short and cold, it feels like it’s almost impossible to keep your children entertained. While the days can often seem endless during the chilly winter months, you don’t need to pull out your hair to keep your children moving and having fun! Check out these 5 indoor activities to keep your children moving this winter.

1. Set up an Indoor Obstacle Course. Create a fun, unique, and imaginative indoor obstacle course for kids. Grab pillows, blankets, hula-hoops, chairs, and any other household items you can find to create a challenging and fun indoor obstacle course. Motivate children to complete the obstacle course a certain number of times. This equals HOURS of fun! Offer a prize for the most creative finisher.

2. Play Balloon Ball. Items needed: 1 balloon (maybe a backup or two). Fill the balloon with air and try to keep it off the ground for as long as you can. See how long your children can keep the ball in the air without touching the ground or “hot lava.” Keep track and set new records all winter long!

3. Dance dance! Dance Party, Freeze Dance, or any other form of dancing can be turned into game time. The point of these dancing games it to turn up the jams, get moving, and have fun showing off your favorite dance moves and maybe even learning new ones.

4. The Clean-Up Game. Yes, this is a thing. If your kids have been stuck inside all day, your playroom likely looks like disaster struck. Turn on the timer and challenge your kids to clean up the room before the timer goes off.

5. Animal Charades. Step 1: Have your children draw animals on pieces of paper to use for the game. Step 2: Use the pieces of paper and act out the animals as a family. Be sure not to use any sound, only use movement, when acting out your animal!

And if you’re tired from all of the holiday prepping and post-holiday fun, The Little Gym is another great indoor option for busy families during the winter months! Check out our full schedule or visit The Little Gym nearest you today.

Our new Air Mat/Tumbling Track has arrived and teacher Steve couldn't stop having fun and enjoying his flying movements on it.

Above here is the video he did triple Back-Handspring, one of the main fundamental skills of Gymnastics as what most of little Gymnasts dream about. In other words, this is what all our children at our Gym are looking for and will be so excited about <3

Looking forward to see you all at our Gym. It never been too late to enrol, if you haven't booked your place yet, give us a call at: 07541 636 665

We've had a wonderful time for Show Week and big thanks to the kids, parents and nannies. You all brought the energy and made the best atmosphere for our children to show off their skills and to pave the way for next semester.

We loved the costumes, the smiles, the skills, the adventures and everything! It's so important to us that the kids AND their parents and nannies have fun. So thank you for everyone that sang, clapped, tried the skills, walked on the beams, took beautiful pictures, etc.

New info: we've finished yesterday and had other camps next week on Monday. We also are starting again in our new semester from 14th February to July 22nd.

It's not too late to enrol, if you haven't booked your place yet, give us a call at: 07541 636 665 ????

From infant to toddler, our Parent Child classes promote early development and provide a strong foundation for your childʼs critical first three years.

Weekly classes will help your child achieve new milestones and prepare for more advanced challenges during each stage of growth.Since youʼre along for the ride, youʼll be right there to celebrate every discovery with smiles and hug.

Contact us now to book your introductory class via 07541636665 or cobham@thelittlegym.eu

Children need exercise just as much as adults, so it’s appropriate for them to go to the gym from about the age of 2 onward. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention, recommends children get at least one hour of exercise every day. Benefits of regular exercise for children include controlling stress, raising self-esteem, maintaining a healthy weight, building a healthy body and improved sleep. The type of activity a child does at the gym depends on his age and physical maturity.

Ages 2 to 3The gym can help your toddler improve her motor skills, through activities such as running and throwing. Toddler gym exercise classes are appropriate but should emphasize fun over structure and creativity over strict form. Observe preschool gym classes geared toward body awareness, while strengthening language skills, cooperation and observation skills. Young bones should not be stretched in a rigorous way as skeletons are still developing. Play with your child while at the gym using games such as tag or leap frog. As motor skills mature, games can become more complex incorporating movements such as running, jumping, skipping and tag. She may enjoy toddler adapted classes for swimming, T-ball, yoga and tumbling.

Ages 4 to 5As her motor skills mature, your child's gym classes can become more complex, incorporating movements such as running, jumping, skipping and tag. She may enjoy classes at the gym such as swimming, T-ball and tumbling. Gymnastics can be introduced, as long as the emphasis is still on fun and creativity, rather than a rigorous, structured fitness regime to further develop her motor skills, improving balance and coordination. Many gyms have T-ball classes, teaching the basics beginning at around age 4. According to the website T-Ball USA, T-ball is one of the first team sports most children learn. The game should serve as an introduction to the sport and teach basic skills.

Ages 6 to 12An elementary school child starts to make more of her own decisions about how she wants to exercise. She may enjoy more organized gym sports meeting up to three times a week. She's ready to have gym classes extend beyond the basics during these years to help her develop her own style. Her gym activities can include yoga, rock climbing and more advanced gymnastic classes, as well as group activities such as softball, baseball, basketball, soccer, horseback riding and swimming.

Ages 13-18Your teens begins to exercise in a highly structured manner, that will more closely resemble her exercise regime as an adult. Exercising gives your teen an alternative to sedentary activities such as video games, watching TV and surfing the Internet. He may choose either individual gym activities such as jogging, swimming or weightlifting or team sports such as football, basketball or wrestling.It's appropriate for him to begin weightlifting, if this peaks his interest. According to the website, kidshealth.org, once your child begins puberty, he has the hormones necessary to build muscle through formal resistance training such as weightlifting.

We are in the full swing of the wonderful Autumn period. Winter is just around the corner and that means we need to boost not just our own but also our children's immune systems. Here are some tips and tricks to help keep us all healthy throughout the coming months.

Tip 1: Getting enough Zzz'sIt's common knowledge that well-rested children are less likely to fall ill. Lack of sleep can disrupt the function of white blood cells, which play an important role in helping fight off infections.

Tip 2: Washing handsKeeping our hands clean and away from our face to prevents spreading any bacteria that we have on our hands into our mouths. However, sometimes it might be tricky to make sure that children are actually washing their hands properly. A nice and fun way to help children with washing hands properly is to have them sing a song or nursery rhyme whilst they are washing their hands. Click here for some fun examples.

Tip 3: Good food Serve a variety of fruits, veggies, whole grains, dairy products, and other nutritious foods. Children older than 1 year needs 15 micrograms of Vitamin D a day to decrease the risk of many illnesses, including a cold and flu. Serve a variety of fruit, veggies, whole grains, dairy products, and other nutritious foods. The recommended daily intake for children older than 1 year is 15 micrograms of Vitamin D. This can decrease the risk of many illnesses, including a colds and flu.

Tip 4: Be active every dayStudies indicate that regular, moderate exercise can reduce (the number of) cold and flu episodes that occur over the course of a year by 25-50%, possibly by boosting the circulation of infection-fighting cells. "Exercise is better than any advertised cure or miracle," says Harley A. Rotbart, M.D., Parents advisor and author of "Germ Proof Your Kids: the Complete Guide to Protecting (Without Overprotecting) Your Family from Infections".

Tip 5: Open your windowsThe air we breathe can have a profound effect on our mood and cognitive abilities, so it is important to keep it clean. Sometimes the air in our homes can be even more polluted than the air outside. Gigi Lee Chang, former CEO of Healthy Child, Healthy World, recommends opening windows using vents, and having indoor plants in the home to help clean and circulate the air.

We're so lucky to be able to host birthday parties here at The Little Gym Cobham. Each weekend we get to celebrate with the special birthday child, their family and friends.

The parties have been so wonderful we wanted to share some of the feedback with you. Lets make their next birthday the best yet!

"Everyone had a great time at The Little Gym this afternoon, they loved it. Your staffs are the best, thank you very much. Chen xxx" (from mom of Christine's Birthday Party)

"Thank you so much for such a wonderful party today. My kids really enjoyed it." (from mom of Arthur's Birthday Party)

We love talking about parties at The Little Gym Cobham, if you have questions about how they run, or would like a little more information about availability head to the website, call us or email, or come have a brew with us and chat it over thoroughly.

We hope you all have had a wonderful Half Term, we had a fantastic and fun week of Halloween camps last week but now we're back to classes!

With new Learning Units and Themes starting this week, your child will be developing and enhancing their skills further. Come and build up your core with the Beasts, focus on controlling your body with the Funny Bugs and prepare for flying tight and balancing with the Grade School.

Plus, as its still half term, you're welcome to bring siblings along to the gym and we can entertain them with arts and crafts in the lobby!